Subaru has said that the new Forester and its upcoming Forester Hybrid will be made in the United States at the Lafayette, Indiana factory. While they’ll still produce the Forester in Japan, making the popular crossover in the US could mean good things for customers, maybe even lower prices.
The hybrid version is expected to start production in 2026, but Subaru hasn’t said when they’ll start making the non-hybrid Forester in the US. Until now, Subaru had to bring the Forester into the United States from Japan. The Indiana factory currently makes the Ascent, Outback, Crosstrek, and Legacy models. But with the Legacy being discontinued, there’s room on the assembly line for the Forester. It’s sad to see the sedan go, but it makes sense to make the popular Forester locally.
Scott Brand, the President and COO of Subaru of Indiana Automotive, said, “We’re excited about Subaru Corporation’s decision to build the Forester at our facility. Once again, they’ve shown their trust in our workers to make the company’s most popular models. We’re proud to continue being a big part of the brand’s success.”
We’ve reached out to Subaru for more information and will update the story when we hear back. We don’t know much about the upcoming Forester Hybrid yet, but reports say it will use Toyota’s hybrid-electric technology. This could save Subaru a lot of money in development costs. Mazda, which also uses Toyota’s hybrid technology, is working on hybrid tech for the next CX-5.
Toyota and Subaru are also working together to make three new electric vehicles, set to come out in 2026. Subaru is cautious about investing too much in electric vehicle technology since they’re not sure where the industry is headed. Other carmakers who have invested heavily in EVs have had to change their plans to fit market demands. Subaru’s CEO said it’s risky to go into this field alone, so teaming up with Toyota helps reduce risks.
Subaru already sells the Solterra (which is a Toyota bZ4X) in the US, but they’ll need to add more electric vehicles to their lineup soon. We don’t know yet where the new electric vehicles will be made, but Toyota might build them at one of its US factories. This would let Subaru take advantage of EV incentives, which would be good for customers.
